October 2016 UH Press Author Events

Several University of Hawai‘i Press authors will be presenting their works this month and next. These events are free and the public is invited to attend. Books will be available for sale and signing, unless otherwise noted.

brownenglishdept-flyerTuesday, October 4, 3:00 to 4:30 pm, Kuykendall Hall 410, UH Mānoa
Assistant professor of religion Marie Alohalani Brown discusses life-writing and her recent book, Facing the Spears of Change: The Life and Legacy of John Papa ‘Ī‘ī. Her talk is part of the UHM English Department Colloquium series.

Thursday, October 6, noon to 1:15 pm, Henke Hall 325, UH Mānoamorales-forasong_100dpi
At this Center for Biographical Research brown bag talk, Rodney Morales  addresses the role that research plays in his fiction, particularly his new novel, For a Song. In fabricating stories that ring true, he not only focuses on documentable events, actual persons, and observable landscapes, as histories and biographies do, but also finds ways to breathe life into them. (See the fall semester Brown Bag Biography schedule here.)

hasinger-astro_basicallybksFriday, October 7, 6:00 to 7:00 pm, Basically Books, Hilo
For this First Friday event in downtown Hilo, UHM Institute for Astronomy director Günther Hasinger expands our understanding of space and time and looks at recent advances in astrophysics, as covered in his book, Astronomy’s Limitless Journey: A Guide to Understanding the Universe.

Wednesday, October 12, 6:30 to 7:30 pm, Kapolei Public Library
baird-dolphinswhales_100dpiMarine biologist Robin W. Baird of Cascadia Research Collective (Olympia, Washington) discusses results from his soon-to-be-published The Lives of Hawai‘i’s Dolphins and Whales: Natural History and Conservation, which includes findings from years of research using satellite tagging, genetics, and photo identification to study resident whales and dolphins in Hawai‘i. (Note: Books will not be available for sale.)

Thursday, October 13, 7:30 to 8:30 pm, Kapi‘olani Community College Hale ‘Ōhi‘a (cafeteria)
Hawaiian Historical Society hosts Marie Alohalani Brown as their program’s featured speaker to present her biography of John brown-facingthespears_100dpiPapa ‘Ī‘ī, Facing the Spears of Change. Doors open at 7 pm for light refreshments and the talk follows at 7:30.

Saturday, October 22, 9:00 to 11:00 am, Wahiawa Botanical Garden KawakamiCOVER12b.indd
The Wahiawa Historical Society honors former longtime resident Barbara Kawakami on the publication of Picture Bride Stories.

Wednesday, October 26, 5:30 to 7:30 pm, King Kamehameha V Judiciary History Center, 417 S. King Street
Dr. Marie Alohalani Brown again shares her work and insight on Hawaiian statesman John Papa ‘Ī‘ī; this time to a downtown Honolulu audience. See more details and register on Eventbrite.

Events to come in November include Rodney Morales at Native Books/Nā Mea Hawai‘i on November 5, 2:30 to 4 pm, and discussions with editors Aya Kimura and Krisnawati Suryanata, along with chapter contributors, to highlight Food and Power in Hawai‘i. A book launch for Food and Power in Hawai‘i is scheduled for November 4, 2:30 to 4:00 pm at UHM Saunders Hall 443. Check our Facebook page for updates.

March 2013 Author Events #3: Kerri Inglis (Ma‘i Lepera)

Kerri Inglis at KalaupapaTwo book launches are scheduled this month for UH Hilo associate professor of history Kerri A. Inglis — one in Honolulu and one in Hilo. Her newly published work, Ma‘i Lepera: Disease and Displacement in Nineteenth-Century Hawai‘i, sheds light on the Kānaka Maoli who contracted leprosy and were sent to the remote peninsula traditionally known as Makanalua, on Molokai’s northern shore. The book offers compelling evidence of how the disease and its treatment altered Hawaiian perceptions and changed the way Kānaka Maoli viewed themselves—affecting their connections to each other, their families, their islands, and their nation.

Both events are free and open to all interested in attending the talk/signing. Books will be available for purchase and complimentary refreshments will be provided.

Inglis-MaiLepera-NativeBksFriday, March 15, 2013
6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Native Books/Na Mea Hawai‘i
Join us at the newly renovated shop at the ‘ewa end of Ward Warehouse.

Thursday, March 21, 2013
12:30 to 2:00 p.m.
University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, Campus Center 301
The event is part of the monthly UHH English Department Brown Bag series of public discussions.

Next month Professor Inglis will also sign books on Wednesday, April 3, 1:00 p.m. at Basically Books in Hilo, as part of the store’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Merrie Monarch Festival. 

November 2012 Author Events

Thursday, November 8, 12 noon to 1:15 p.m.
Wendy S. Arbeit shares her experiences in researching Hawaiian cultural and utilitarian objects, her techniques used in revealing their patterns, and how she documented them with detailed line drawings in her award-winning book, Links to the Past: The Work of Early Hawaiian Artisans.

Some of the questions that will be addressed:
What went into tracking down those artifacts now scattered across the globe?
What do the 1,400 illustrations tell you about pre- and early contact Hawaiian culture and the ways it changed in response to Westerners?
What sort of questions are raised by the grouping of so many objects?

The talk is part of the Brown Bag Biography series at the Center for Biographical Research, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Henke Hall 325, 1800 East-West Road. For more information, see the UH event calendar or call 808-956-3774 or email: biograph@hawaii.edu.

Isaiah Walker

Thursday, November 8, 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
BYU-Hawaii professor and former competitive surfer Isaiah Walker will  give a lecture at Arizona State University on his thought-provoking book, Waves of Resistance: Surfing and History in Twentieth-Century Hawai‘i. Walker explains how Hawaiian surfers have successfully resisted colonial encroachment in the po‘ina nalu (surf zone). In making his case, he also explores empowerment and masculinity, media representation of islanders, identity struggles, and other topics. The talk is open to the public and will be held in West Hall, Room 135, at ASU in Tempe. For more information, see the ASU calendar posting.

Tuesday, November 13, 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.
See below listing under November 18 for George and Willa Tanabe’s Japanese Buddhist Temples in Hawai‘i.

Saturday, November 17, 3:00 p.m.
San Diego resident Leilani Holmes will visit Basically Books in Hilo, Hawai‘i to discuss and sign copies of her recent work, Ancestry of Experience: A Journey Into Hawaiian Ways of Knowing. Born in Honolulu in 1952 to a Hawaiian mother, Holmes was adopted as an infant by a haole (Caucasian) couple who moved to Ohio when she was four years old. The book recounts, explores, and analyzes the author’s quest to reclaim her origins and come to terms with the duality inherent in being an indigenous adoptee. The two-column format of the book mirrors this dichotomy, with a personal, conversational style of narrative on one side, and academic explanatory text on the other.

Saturday, November 17, 4:00 p.m.
Seattle author/poet/artist Alan Chong Lau will be at the Wing Luke Museum’s Tateuchi Story Theatre to join his sister, food writer Linda Lau Anusasananan, as she reads from The Hakka Cookbook, published by University of California Press. (Read a related post on the UC Press blog here.) Alan Lau provided the artwork for the book, done in a similarly whimsical, sumi-e style that illustrates his UH Press-published book of poetry, Blues and Greens: A Produce Worker’s Journal.

Sunday, November 18, 2:00 p.m.
George J. Tanabe and Willa Jane Tanabe will appear at Barnes & Noble, Ala Moana Center, for a signing of their just-released guidebook, Japanese Buddhist Temples in Hawai‘i: An Illustrated Guide. The Tanabes personally visited each of the ninety temples still in existence, and took photographs not only the buildings’ exteriors but of the ornate altars and interior details. Over 360 of these color photos are contained in the book. Descriptions of each temple and explanations of the symbolism of objects and design elements will help temple visitors decipher the meaning behind these physical expressions. Also at this event, information will be distributed on the related exhibit due to open December 1 at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i.

Last-minute update: On Tuesday, November 13, 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., George and Willa Tanabe will give a PowerPoint lecture at the Honpa Hongwanji Hawaii Betsuin Annex Temple (makai of the main temple), 1727 Pali Highway. Open to the public, with a $10 fee. For more information, click here for a link to the Dharma Light Project brochure and map, or call 808-536-7044.